AN INTERACTIVE, OPTIMIZATION-BASED DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR SCHEDULING PART-TIME, COMPUTER LAB ATTENDANTS

The labor tour scheduling problem has attracted much recent research, focusing on the development and evaluation of optimal and heuristic me thods to minimize labor costs while satisfying demand for labor. Resea rchers typically assume that a sufficient labor pool is available. How ever, service organizations such as fast-food restaurants, grocery sto res, and video rental stores, as well as not-for-profit organizations using volunteer workers, typically use a large number of part-time emp loyees with limited availabilities for work. This study presents an in teractive decision support system that addresses the conflicting objec tives of efficient labor scheduling and accommodating employee needs. The system uses a linear programming model to provide sets of optimal shifts from which employees can construct acceptable weekly schedules; the manager may override the schedule if necessary. The decision supp ort system is used to schedule student computer lab attendants at a ma jor university in an efficient and equitable manner.